As the saying goes.
The first time is new, the second time is familiar.
When Pluto Rayleigh came to collect the money in the second month, Coles stated his brief request and began to spar with him in swordsmanship.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The sound of swords clashing echoed one after another.
Coles, holding the magic sword Red Moon, and Pluto Rayleigh, holding a long sword, are competing in swordsmanship in an uninhabited area under the cover of night.
If other people who are unaware of the situation see this scene, they would think that Major General Coles has discovered Pluto Rayleigh, who is wanted by the government, and is engaging in a delaying battle with him, waiting for the admiral to come.
However, with Rayleigh's powerful Observation Haki sensing the surroundings, the battle and transaction between the two will not be known to outsiders.
Coles's swordsmanship was only at the level of a swordsman. In this sword-fighting competition, he could not force Rayleigh to improve his swordsmanship at all.
He only knew that Rayleigh's swordsmanship was far superior to his own, but as for how strong he was, Coles couldn't make a clear judgment.
Rayleigh looked at the big, sharp knife in Coles's hand, which was black on the blade and red on the bottom, and exclaimed in admiration.
"Your demon sword is quite good!"
"It's just so-so." Coles.
A sword can greatly enhance a swordsman's strength, especially the magic sword Red Moon in Coles's hand.
On full-moon nights, the demon sword can amplify and enhance his strength. Although the amplifying effect has been greatly reduced after he entered the swordsman level, it is still an extremely rare and famous sword.
The two of them were discussing and talking at the same time.
In order to avoid being controlled solely by Pluto Rayleigh, Coles decided to tell some things to create mystery for himself and let Rayleigh know that he also knew some of his secrets.
"I remember that after the Nine Snakes Pirates landed on the Sabaody Archipelago last month, Boa Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, came to you. You probably didn't tell them that I killed the Celestial Dragons."
Hearing this, Rayleigh's eyes narrowed slightly. He felt that this young man named Charlotte Coles was becoming more and more mysterious.
Needless to say, his domineering aura is comparable to that of Roger and Whitebeard at their peak levels.
Regarding the meeting between the three Snake sisters and him and Xia Qi, Rayleigh had already used his Observation Haki to check the surroundings and made sure that no one was following them. How did the other party find out
Rayleigh knocked Coles back with a sword, a puzzled look on his face: "How did you know this?"
stop!
With the help of his shaving speed, Coles approached again and slashed down with the magic sword with fierce sword force.
"There are many more things I know, but I just don't want to talk about them for now."
clang!
The fierce knife was easily blocked, and Rayleigh spoke calmly.
“That’s really interesting.”
"You can rest assured. Although I like young and beautiful girls the most, I am a person who keeps my promises. Since I have received your money, I will naturally keep it a secret for you."
…
An hour later.
The sword fighting competition is over.
Coles began to think about his shortcomings in the sword-fighting competition just now, and how to absorb the exquisiteness of Pluto Rayleigh's swordsmanship.
Rayleigh put his sword aside, sat on the grass, took out a silver wine cup from his arms, took a sip, and sighed.
"You have such power at the age of 19. You are truly a 'monster' young man!"
Coles's eyes fell on the white-haired old man in front of him: "At the age of 75, you can still display such strength. You are the so-called monster!"
Rayleigh continued to drink, "As you get older, your physical strength will decline."
Coles didn't say anything, but he was thinking quickly in his mind.
In this pirate world, although the top warriors can maintain their peak combat power, their physical strength will indeed decline with age.
Because of his old age and the heavy seastone robotic arm, Mr. Zefa has to take medicine before every battle to ensure that he can perform stably.
Whitebearded Edward Newgate needs intravenous treatment due to physical aging, and so on.
"Okay, I'll go back first."
Rayleigh drank half of the wine in his hand, stood up, put away his sword, and took away the small box containing 40 million Baileys.
For instructing Coles in swordsmanship.
Rayleigh didn't think anything was wrong, even though Coles was a marine now, and helping him grow seemed like a stupid thing to do...
But is this really the case
Rayleigh couldn't help but smile.
From the moment this young rear admiral killed the Celestial Dragon with his own hands, the other party was destined to stand on the opposite side of the World Government.
The conflict between the two is only because the World Government now mistakenly believes that Rayleigh is the murderer.
But if this matter is investigated by the World Government one day, then Charlotte Coles will have a real conflict with the World Government.
What Rayleigh is helping to grow now is nothing more than a huge enemy of the World Government in the future.
Besides this, there was another reason why Rayleigh was not opposed to teaching Coles swordsmanship.
That is, Rayleigh himself admires the young man Coles very much. As for why, perhaps it is because Coles's behavior of killing the Celestial Dragons is very cool.
It has been a long time since anyone in this world dared to kill the Celestial Dragons like this.
…
After Rayleigh left, Coles also returned to the dormitory at the naval base to rest.
Everything needs to be done step by step, so today he just asked Rayleigh for advice on swordsmanship, and he would ask about the experience of Conqueror's Haki next time.
Return to your residence.
Coles first took a shower to wash off the sweat on his body, and then sat cross-legged on the bed to meditate.
His swordsmanship has now reached the level of a swordsman, and the next stage is a great swordsman.
There are many great swordsmen on the sea today, such as Hawkeye Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Flower Sword Beetus, captain of the Whitebeard Group's 5th Division, Vice Admiral Goson of the Navy, and so on.
According to the information Coles knew, swordsmanship can be roughly divided into three major levels:
The first level, basic swordsmanship and precise swordsmanship, focuses on the practice of "skills". Whether it is basic sword moves or powerful sword skills cultivated through meditation, they all tend to be "skill" abilities.
The second level, the Iron-Cutting Realm and Swordsman level, focuses on the cultivation of the "heart" and spirit. From sensing external objects and breathing to strengthening beliefs, all are progress in this area.
Although "Lanros" was a swordsman at the time, his spirit was not strong enough, and he was eventually bewitched and controlled by the demon sword, causing the tragedy in Silver Moon Kingdom.
The third level, the great swordsman level, requires an increase in "strength". This "strength" is not simply strength, it represents power.
Hawkeye is known as the world's number one swordsman. His swordsmanship is so powerful that he can deliver powerful attacks with just a casual swing.
A hundred-meter-high mountain can be cut down with just one sword, and a pirate fleet of five thousand people can be destroyed with just a few swords.
How to improve the "power" of swordsmanship.
Coles doesn't have to think about this for the time being, because he is still a long way from becoming a great swordsman, and he is still at the swordsman level.
In the following period of time.
While improving his own strength, Coles maintained a stable garrison in the Sabaody Archipelago.
The pirates who came here from the Grand Line would be quickly defeated by Coles, and the Celestial Dragons did not dare to come down from the holy land of Marijoa, which resulted in the Sabaody Archipelago being basically safe.
However, the world will not stop changing.
Although the newly promoted rear admiral Charlotte Coles brought about a wave of upward momentum in the navy, the Great Pirate Era was not over.
Pirates are still developing and their number is gradually increasing.
In July, Zephyr, who was originally in an idle position, proposed to the senior naval officials to form a "pirate guerrilla force" to hunt pirates.
This proposal was approved.
Zefa led the students he had taught before to form a separate pirate guerrilla team to hunt down the pirates who are now rampant on the sea.
And it was in July of this year that Coles received a call from Admiral Kuzan via Den Den Mushi.
"Regarding the incident with 'Al Dinah' in the East China Sea, the personnel we sent out caught the other party after many twists and turns and finally got the news."
Coles inquired.
"Then who is the person behind this?"
There was silence for a moment on the Den Den Mushi side, and then Kuzan's serious voice was heard.
“Al Dina confessed that she came here on an assassination mission from the underground world.
According to the investigations our navy has spent a lot of time on, the person behind the underground world's offer to kill your family is...
Don Quixote family! "